Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports

June 16Theft by taking - felonyA man came to the jail and told deputies he had been remodeling his home when he noticed a .22-caliber pistol and two magazines were missing. He told deputies he believes he knows who may have stolen the gun but could not prove it. The pistol was entered into the GCIC as stolen.

June 19Burglary - felonyA woman told deputies she left her home to help a friend but when she returned, she found her door open. She said she always keeps her doors locked. No sign of forced entry was found. She said two rings and a loaded pistol were missing.

June 20Criminal trespassDeputies went to an Eden home and found a man in the woods nearby. Deputies discovered he was the ex-husband of the home’s resident, and the ex-wife said her former husband suffered from severe mental problems and had violent tendencies. She added she was in fear of him and he was not welcome on her property. She declined to press charges but wanted to have a criminal trespass service notice given to him so he would stay off her property.

June 21Damaged propertyA boater told deputies he had been on the Savannah River just south of Tuckasee King Landing when two boats passed him at high speed, causing his craft to capsize. As a result, he lost all his property on his boat, including his wallet, rods, reels and tackle boxes. He also told deputies the outboard motor was damaged when his boat capsized. He described the two boats to deputies and said the boats’ operators appeared to be intoxicated.

June 21Possession of a controlled substanceOpen alcohol containerA deputy was responding to call about a fight at a party when he saw a pickup run a stop sign. One of the pickup’s occupants had an injury around his eye, and the deputy believed they may have been involved in the fight. As he approached the driver side window, the deputy could smell a strong odor of marijuana. They said they had been at the party but there was no fight, and the occupant with the injury said he suffered that during a fight several years earlier.

They told the deputy they did not have any marijuana but as the deputy shined his flashlight into the cab, he saw two open beer cans in the cup holder and clear plastic bag with a green, leafy substance. The truck’s occupants said they did not know what was in the bag. The driver said the truck belongs to a friend who was still at the party.

Both occupants identified the bag’s contents as “spice,” but they continued to say it was not theirs. The driver told deputies he was on probation and this was “going to ruin” his life. He said the beer and “spice” belonged to the passenger. The passenger was crying and said the “spice” was his, and he didn’t want to see his friend go back to jail. They also admitted to handling the bag of “spice” before they were pulled over.

June 22Criminal trespassDeputies responded to a Guyton area home, where a resident said someone started a fire under his shed and broke a window from a van he used for storage. He told deputies the fire, because of all the pine needles around, could have set the nearby woods on fire.

June 21Firearms violationDeputies were called out on a report of shots being fired in a residential area. As they got to the home where the shots were heard, they saw spent handgun and rifle casings on the back porch. The first suspect initially told deputies no one had been shooting guns but later admitted he and the second suspect had been shooting handguns. They said it had been two or three days since they fired the rifle. This also was the second incident at the home involving firearms. Both men were arrested since they were discharging a firearm within 300 yards of another residence.

June 22Recovered stolen vehicleA deputy spotted a reported stolen vehicle with only one headlight working. The suspect was driving, and there were two juveniles in the car. As another deputy arrived, all three of the car’s occupants were ordered out of the vehicle as deputies had their weapons ready. One of the juveniles appeared to be very nervous after she was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. She was told if she had anything illegal, she needed to hand it over before she crossed the guard line at the jail. She said she had a drug item placed between her legs. She asked if she could remove it while in the car or if she needed to go to the emergency room. She was told she needed to remove it before she potentially overdosed from it. She removed it and identified it as a bag of “spice.”